artist. writer. seeker of beauty in the ordinary.

December 2016

December 09, 2016

i am oceans away but send her all of my love. she has always been a beacon of light in my life. her kind heart and generous spirit took care of me when i was little and would get ill but my mom needed to go to work. when i was older, spending the night at her apartment was what i looked forward to most. i would arrive and be greeted with the scents of all my favorite foods. one time, i asked her, "ma, what do you do to make your food taste so good?" "oh, i just stir in a little love," she would answer. we would have long talks about life over hot cups of tea. we would find something funny on the tv and both break into marathon fits of laughter that would bring us both to tears. she was a welcomed presence at every major moment in my life. and was the shoulder i collapsed on after hearing the news of the loss of my father - and registering what that meant. she was a lighthouse that helped me find my way back through the dark forest of grief. she listened during the times i had no words but couldn't yet go home. she walked the rim of the grand canyon with me answering my string of questions about her youth and her life. she welcomed my pirates with the grandest of smiles the day she met them.

she is loved dearly by many and cared for selflessly by my sweet aunt. while i carry her in my heart daily, today she holds such a special place. i am so grateful for your presence in my life, i am sending you all my love, ma!!

December 07, 2016

the world has felt quite heavy lately, and it becomes easy to feel vulnerable and swept up in the swells of negativity that are out there. years ago, i vowed to navigate away from that path. this meant making some very conscious and sometimes difficult choices. i needed to tend to my heart and listen closely to what she was whispering. i certainly do not take a 'pollyanna' approach to the world in the vast sense or even in my own personal experience. but i do feel strongly in the power of kindness and compassion. small acts lead to positive change.

and during those moments when expressing kindness can feel more like a salmon swimming upstream, i remind myself that is the world i wish to live in and wish to cultivate for my family and tribe of chosen ones.

kindness is born from small intentional actions aimed to help another. kindness comes with vulnerability. kindness does not ask for recognition or a spotlight, she prefers to extend her hand and sit by you in silence, she may even lay her head on your shoulder, simply so you know she is there. kindness prefers peace as her neighbor but understands that neighborhoods can be complicated and complex, she can live beside anyone as long as peace can find her heart. kindness paints with the beauty of our differences. she sings with the notes of our many languages. and she writes poetry with our many wishes. her studio is lit by the stars and she exhales the soft breeze you feel upon your cheek. she whispers, possibility.